The true errors were made in the 2012 offseason.

[JSD]

Look, hindsight is 20/20, I understand that. The Celtics were coming off a successful campaign of going to the ECF's game 7. Bringing back the role players of that team and adding role players seemed like the logical approach. Ainge resigned Bass and Green to long term deals, and brought in Lee and Terry on long term role player type deals. I was on board with it when the deals were made and I was wrong. Ainge should have realized that making to the ECF that season was fools gold. Rose was injured, giving us all but a clear path to meet Miami.

How much better shape would this team be in if Allen, Green and Bass were not re-signed and Lee and Terry were not brought in during that offseason? And instead, Ainge did what he could, and brought in players to expire after the 2013 season? We could have pulled the same deal off with the Clippers and the Nets, minus Wallace. We would be sitting pretty right now with a ton of cap space.

[jambr380]

Yeah, it's kind-of a bummer to think about, but not as bad as one may think. I really thought Lee and/or Bass would have been traded by now in salary dump deals (expiring and 2nd round pick). They are good enough and on somewhat reasonable contracts. I don't think the Terry signing killed us since he was just in addition to KG/Pierce. As for Green, I think his deal is basically a bargain. If he averages 15/4/3, then he more than lives up to his contract. I know people are going to be calling for his head if he doesn't tear it up, but he is only a 9 mill/yr player - that is like 4th or 5th option money.

The Gerald Wallace part is really the killer, but another big contract was needed to even out the trade and it really had to be him - with or without Terry in the deal.

[JSD]

I guess my point is that we would have had a ton of cap space and been able to pull of deals like Utah did on top of what we have already done collecting assets. Utah nabbed a few 1st rounders from Oakland just by absorbing Jefferson and ABs expiring deals. We could have been that team.

[JSD]

The Gerald Wallace part is really the killer, but another big contract was needed to even out the trade and it really had to be him - with or without Terry in the deal.

But couldn't have Bogans been signed to an expiring, for even more, to make up the difference?

[LooseCannon]

If Ainge knew he could have gotten Lee and Barbosa, imagine using the mle on a big instead of Terry.

[JSD]

If Ainge knew he could have gotten Lee and Barbosa, imagine using the mle on a big instead of Terry.

Who though?

[Endless Paradise]

The Gerald Wallace part is really the killer, but another big contract was needed to even out the trade and it really had to be him - with or without Terry in the deal.

But couldn't have Bogans been signed to an expiring, for even more, to make up the difference?

Why would the Nets want to do that if they could get out of Wallace's contract?

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

Whether or not we deserved to be in that ECF aside, that it took Miami 7 games to dispatch us in spite of a bench that could not score says something. In light of that, the free agents picked up them mostly made sense on paper in terms of plugging the gaps and running it back once more. I mean, at the time who would have thought Terry and Lee, and Pierce  would have had the shooting slumps they had?  In hindsight I would have just cut the unguaranteeds and used a bit of the money to match the twolves offer for Stiemsma, then gone after a cheap back up PG.  That is with hindsight. 

[mmmmm]

This seems like revisionist interpretation.

Last season's problems were very clearly and obviously more to do with injuries and (lack of) health than anything else.

[gpap]

Danny Ainge couldn't have had a WORSE offseason in the summer of 2012.

Terry, Lee and then resigning Bass and Green were awful decisions.

He should've focused on acquiring better talent and more SIZE to complement KG down low (and I am not talking about scrubs like Wilcox and Darko, who didn't even start the season with the Celtics.)

That's one of the reasons why the team looked so awful towards the end of the season. The talent just wasn't there. Unfortunately, as a result, our final memory of seeing Paul and KG in green was being dismantled by the Knicks in 6 games.

I disagree with the notion that you can just blame last year's shortcomings on injuries.

Even Miami dealt with injuries last season and they still won an NBA title.

And then to make it worse, at the deadline he acquired more subpar players like Crawford and a bunch of random guys from China. Looking back, I am surprised my phone didn't ring last season.

[D.o.s.]

Danny Ainge couldn't have had a WORSE offseason in the summer of 2012.

Terry, Lee and then resigning Bass and Green were awful decisions.

He should've focused on acquiring better talent and more SIZE to complement KG down low (and I am not talking about scrubs like Wilcox and Darko, who didn't even start the season with the Celtics.)

That's one of the reasons why the team looked so awful towards the end of the season. The talent just wasn't there. Unfortunately, as a result, our final memory of seeing Paul and KG in green was being dismantled by the Knicks in 6 games.

I disagree with the notion that you can just blame last year's shortcomings on injuries.

Even Miami dealt with injuries last season and they still won an NBA title.

And then to make it worse, at the deadline he acquired more subpar players like Crawford and a bunch of random guys from China. Looking back, I am surprised my phone didn't ring last season.

Out of curiosity, who would you have chosen instead?

I think the biggest push around here was Kenyon Martin.

[LooseCannon]

I have my suspicions that the Celtics might have signed Martin if Rondo had not been injured.  I think Ainge was waiting until the last minute just in case somethinglike a season-killing injury happened.

If Rondo had not gone down or was going to be ready at the start of the season, I could easily see not making The Trade and signing someone like Elton Brand while still moving up to draft Olynyk, which would make for an interesting roster.

[LooseCannon]

If Ainge knew he could have gotten Lee and Barbosa, imagine using the mle on a big instead of Terry.

Who though?

They could have used half the MLE to keep Stiemsma and used the  rest on someone worth more than the minimum.

[cman88]

Rondo/Sullinger/Barbosa going down within 3 weeks of eachother was the death knell of that team. not enough talent after them.

but, right now, those deals especially Lee/Bass are killing us. those players have no value on a rebuilding team. and I would much rather give those minutes to say a Marshon brooks/olynyk to develop

[More Banners]

Rondo/Sullinger/Barbosa going down within 3 weeks of eachother was the death knell of that team. not enough talent after them.

but, right now, those deals especially Lee/Bass are killing us. those players have no value on a rebuilding team. and I would much rather give those minutes to say a Marshon brooks/olynyk to develop

the thing is, Danny signed the supporting cast for longer deals than the core had.  Now we're stuck with them, but without a core.

Hollow team.